Lighting system for automobiles



H. J. BOURBONNIERE.

LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBlLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIO, 1916.

1,362,921, Patented Dec; 21, 1 920.

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I LIGHTING SYSTEMv FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, I916.

l,362,921 Patented Dec. 21, 1920.-

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Ivrenfar Henri \lBauranm'm flltame s UNITED STATES PATENT oFFice.

HENRI J. BOURBONNIERE, or MoNTRnAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO A. A. MONDOUX, or PIERREVILLE, QUEBEC, CANADA.

LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed May 10, 1916.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRI J. BOURBON-- NIERE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lighting Systems for Automobiles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will en able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to lighting systems for automobiles and more particularly to a system wherein the lamps thereof may be thrown into series or parallel when desired.

The lighting systems now used on some automobiles have included therein headlights which are connected in series with the generator for supplying the voltage to the lamps and these generators are operatively connected to the drive shaft of the engine of the motor vehicle. An inconvenience of such lighting systems lies in the fact that when the engine is slowed down the generator also slows down thereby reducing the output of voltage and consequently the supply of current to the lamps is reduced and the lights dimmed. Such lighting systems are generally used on the Ford automobiles of today and the present invention seeks to provide a means to be used in connection with said systems whereby the lamps of the headlights may be changed from series to be in circuit in parallel at the desired time.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for changing the lamps into series or parallel and vice versa which may be operatively connected with the transmission means of the motor.

With the above and other objects in view which will hereinafter appear as the description continues, the invention consists of the novel features of construction, combination and formation of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings has been shown the simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details herein exhibited, but the right is hereby reserved to any changes, alterations or modifications to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

Serial No. 96,705.

which recourse may be had that come within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing the efliciency of the same.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the casing inclosing the motor, transmission gearing and generator of automobiles of the Ford type showing the in vention as applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a vertical, longitudinal section through the switch and having the supporting arm thereof shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical view of the lighting system embodying the present invention when the lamps thereof are in series and showing the switch in perspective; and,

Fig. a is a similar view showing the position of the switch when the lamps are in multiple.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings wherein like and corresponding parts are designated by similar reference characters throughout the several views.

In the diagrammatic representations of the lighting system as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the numeral 1 represents the dashboard of an automobile having a switch 2 and a terminal 8 connected thereto. A generator 4 is included in the circuit of the lighting sys tem having a wire therefrom connected to the terminal 3 and then running to the switch 2 as at 5. Leading from the switch 2 is a wire 6 connected to the head lamp 7 and the head lamp 8 is also included in the circuit and connected to the head lamp 7 by means of the wire 9. In the ordinary lighting systems of Ford automobile cars, a similar system which has just been described is used. The generator thereof is operated by the motor of the car which supplies the current to the lamps 7 and 8 which are in series and the circuit may be opened and closed by the dashboard switch 2. Great inconvenience has been found with such lighting systems due to the fact that when the automobile is traveling at a low rate of speed upon a highway the generator will only be traveling at a low rate and therefore will not supply to the lamps 7 and 8 the required voltage so as to give a bright light to the head lamps which is necessary when traveling along dark roads. To overcome this inconvenience the present invention provides a switch which may be connected with the lighting system as described wherein the lamps may be changed from series into par allel and should the generator have only an output of six volts each lamp will receive six volts which is sufficient to give a bright headlight along the roadways. By connecting the lamps in parallel the generator is in no Way affected and therefore the current supplied from the generator to the sparking system of the motor is in no way impaired.

The mechanical switch used in connection with the present invention for changin the lamps of a lighting system from.series' into multiple or vice versa, has one terminal 18 thereof connected to the wire 6 by means of the wire 14; another terminal 20 connected by means of the wire it to the wire 9 and another terminal 17 which is connected to the lamp 8 by means of the wire 15. This switch is also connected with a terminal which is grounded by a connection to the transmission casing and this grounded connection is indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. by the numeral 16.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings wherein the lights are connected in series the current flows as follows: The switch 2 being closed the current will flow through the wires 5 and 6, through the lamp 7, through the wire 9 into the lamp 8 and from there through the wire 15 to a terminal 17 of the switch 12. From the terminal 17 the current will pass through the movable switch blade 19 and then to the ground wire 16 where the circuit is completed and the lamps connected in series. If eighteen volts are being generated the lamps 7 and 8 will be supplied with equal voltage or nine volts each.

When the blades of the switch 12 have been depressed as illustrated in Fig. 4 and the motor of the vehicle which the system is connected with is traveling at a low rate of speed and the generator only generating nine volts as an illustration, the current from the generator will pass through the wires 5 and 6 when the switch 2 is closed to the lamp 7 through a portion of the wire 9, then through the wire 14 to the switch terminal 20, through the movable switch blade 19 to the ground wire 16. The current will also flow through the wire 14, through the movable switch blade 21, then to the terminal 17, through the wire 15 to the lamp 8, then through a portion of the wire 9. returning through the wire 14: the terminal 20 and then the switch blade 19 to the ground 16 wherein the lamps will be connected in multiple. In this system wherein the generator has only an output of nine volts each the lamps 7 and 8 will be supplied with an equal voltage of nine volts due to the fact that the lamps are connected in parallel. v The mechanical switch 12 com prises a base plate 22 upon which is mounted the switch terminals and switch blades as before described and this plate is adapted to be secured by means of the bolts 23 within the cover 21. The cover at is provided with an opening in which is mounted a fiber push button 25 and this button rests upon the blades 19 and 21 of the switch whereby the blades will be connected together and operated in unison. When the push button 25 is in a raised position as better shown in Fig. 3 the movable switch blade 19 will contact with the arched member 18 and the movable switch member 21 will be out of contact with the contact 27 thereby disconnecting the wire 14 from the circuit when the lamps are in series. hen. the push button 25 is depressed the movable switch blades 19 and 21 come in contact with the terminals 20 and 27 thereby causing the current to flow as before described when the lamps are connected in parallel. It will also be noted in Fig. 2 that the distance of travel of the contacting end of the movable switch blade 19 between the contacting members 17 and 20 is but a short distance so that the break of the current when. changing the lamps from series to parallel or vice versa, the lamps being turned out and on, will not be noticed by the naked eye.

To provide means for operating this mechanical switch 12 I provide means for connecting the same with the foot operated clutch pedal 29 of the motor transmission gearing. The cover 24 of the switch is pro vided with lug projections 80 adapted to be connected upon a plate 31 which plate may be connected to the rear end of the transmission casing 32 by means of the bolt 38. Arranged within the casing 32 is a horizontally arranged clutch lever shaft 34 having fixed to one end thereof the clutch lever comprising two arms 35 and 36 respectively. The arm 36 is connected in the usual manner by means of the clevis connection 37 to the clutch foot pedal 29 whereby when the clutch foot pedal is depressed the clutch lever will be oscillated to move the shaft 841 thereby drawing the transmission gearing into low speed.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 where I have shown the present invention used in connection with a translating circuit of a lighting system for automobiles of the Ford type, the numeral 50 indicates a portion of a casing in which is encased the engine, magneto and transmission gearing all operatively connected in the usual manner. The load shaft 51 which is connected in the usual manner to the driving wheels of the vehicle is adapted to be operatively brought into engagement by means of the transmis sion gearing to the engine in the usual manner. Carried by the load shaft are the usual drums 52 each being encircled by means of the usual band brakes and these band brakes are adapted to be brought into operation by means of the foot pedals 29 and 53, whereby the change speed gearing will be operated and the speed of the generator controlled. When the engine has been first started it generally races, due to the fact that the load shaft 51 is disconnected and as the generator is operatively connected to the fiy-wheel of the engine it will generate suflicient supply of current to the translation circuit 5 so that the lamps 7 and 8 may be retained in series. When the clutch disconnects the drive shaft of the engine from the load shaft 51, the shaft 34 is oscillated or moved with the clutch until it assumes the position as shown in Fig. 1 wherein the curved arm 39 is raised and the switch blades of the mechanical switch permitted to assume the position as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In starting the automobile the clutch pedal 29 is depressed to its lowermost position wherein the change speed gearing is brought into low gear and the automobile caused to travel at low speed, but at the same time the engine is traveling very fast and the generator giving out a larger voltage than when the automobile is traveling on high speed. As the arm 39 is still raised the lamps still remain in series. In changing the gearing into high speed the foot pedal 29 is released so that it may assume its uppermost position and when this clutch pedal is in its uppermost position the shaft 34: will be moved so as to cause the arm 35 to be depressed. W hen the arm 35 is depressed the curved arm 39 will rest upon the push button 25 of the mechanical switch thereby causing the switch blades to assume the position as shown in Fig. 4 and the lamps 7 and 8 will then be brought into parallel.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

The combination of an engine, a generator and load shaft driven by the engine, change speed gearing between the engine and load shaft including gear changing means, a translation circuit including translating means supplied by the generator, means for controlling the voltage applied to the translating means in the translation circuit, and means whereby the gear changing means controls the voltage controlling means to minimize variations in the current traversing the translating means produced by changes in the speed of the generator.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HENRI J. BOURBONNIERE. 

